I Won't Say I'm in Love
by PerfectPictureofanAngelsSmile
Summary: "It's too cliche, I won't say it, no, no." / Laura's life has become a routine and mundane even in the "City that never sleeps." Ross Lynch is a rising rock star who just wants to escape for one night to have an adventure. It isn't until Laura is literally crashed into by Ross Lynch on the streets of New York City that she's somehow pulled into his spontaneous plans. RAURA. (AU)
1. Chance Encounter

**A/N: You might be like wait what are you doooing?! I have SR to update and everything, but, honestly, my fellow sweet readers and followers, I'm posting this up as part of procrastination. Literally I asked myself "What is one last thing I can do to procrastinate instead of this essay?" **

**I have so many little things in my documents actually. I wanted to post this after I at least got the second part done, but it seems plans change. **

**This was indeed inspired by Hercules's song "I won't say I'm in love." I have a reason for this. Well I hope you enjoy this little beginning. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! **

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_"It's too cliche, I won't say it, no, no." / Laura's life has become a routine and mundane even in the "City that never sleeps." Ross Lynch is a rising rock star who just wants to escape for one night to have an adventure. It isn't until Laura is literally crashed into by Ross Lynch on the streets of New York City that she's somehow pulled into his spontaneous plans. The results of the night couldn't be avoided, even if they could help it._

* * *

**I. Chance Encounters**

The concrete jungle was fascinating at night but it could swallow a petite brunette like herself if she wasn't sharp. A small, long haired brunnette walked through the crowded streets of the city, a trench coat keeping her warm while she hugged herself. Finally, she broke free of the crowded urban tangles and was now walking a quieter, sparser street.

Laura was on her way back to her apartment after eating out, but who was she kidding? Her life became mundane and dragged on. Nothing was waiting for at home besides her bed and warm covers. And maybe a good book to reread. She used to be super energetic and lively, but sadly, her mundane life took its toll on her along with her busy studies at MUNY. She sighed, a small fog condensing in front of her face.

In the back, she heard the occasional boombox from a pretentious car, or sirens, and it went as quickly as it came. The sounds of New York City; The city that never sleeps became her home.

She was passing by a forgotten, yet still running old movie theatre and Laura smiled a little at this. Too immersed in appreciating the old fashioned building, she did not take notice of a tall blond behind her, running her direction.

The blond himself wasn't paying attention, looking over his shoulder.

Then, it happened.

"_Oof_!" Laura gasped loudly, a sudden large mass crashing into her, yet cushioning her as they both tumbled onto the hard cold concrete, toppling over once and almost twice. Laura yelped, gasping wildly in shrill shock as her eyes finally popped open since she shut them during the impact and crash- and currently wondering how and why she wasn't hurt or bruised.

A long arm was pulled over her protectively, held securely toward a warm chest. Still gasping, Laura's eyes darted around until she finally looked up to a slightly groaning, yet shamefully admittedly attractive blond. Her mouth hung open, struggling to say something but she was at a loss, only catching her breath as much as he was.

The boy was slightly sitting up, his arm still holding her close, his eyes shut close as he groaned. "Ah... ow...man," Finally he peeked one eye open and as soon as visibly saw the girl in his arms, his eyes went wide. "Oh no, are you okay? I am so sorry," He said worriedly, sitting up fully, bringing her up with him. She couldn't help but gawk at him, being gently slipped off his body onto the concrete, finally sitting up on her own.

She was still trying to form coherent words as she slightly shook her head, only in disbelief toward the events that happened.

His hand was still on her arm and when he saw her lack of words, he suddenly had an amused smile, yet the worry stayed in his eyes. "I don't have to bring you to the hospital right...?" His hand moved from her arm up to brush loose strands of long chestnut hair out of her face.

Laura blinked, her mouth still open like a fish and now turning a flushed red. "Um... I... no, I'm...okay." She said, suddenly hushed and shy, lowering her head.

He stared at her, leaning back on his arms as support. "...Do you know w-"

**_"LYNCH_**!"

They both jumped, the blond cringing the most. In the distant, another man was running toward him. "Uh oh," He said under his breath. Laura whipped her head to him, eyes still big and confused. He shot her a quick apologetic smile. "Sorry," He whispered, and before she knew what was happening, she was hauled up by the crook of her elbow and running.

They ran into a dark alley and this sent Laura into quick paranoia, but for some reason, she wasn't that scared. Maybe her judge of character was off, but the guy didn't seem like the kind to do anything lewd or anything a girl wouldn't like. The thought wording suddenly made Laura turn bright red again and she quickly had to snap herself out it.

But they never stopped running and it wasn't long before they reached the end of the alley anyway, until they jumped back into the large crowd of New Yorkers, blending in and giving pitiful chances for whoever was back there to find them. He never let go of Laura's wrist and she bit her lip at this. All she could do was stare at his shoulder and the back of his head which was a messy, but attractively tousled blond mess.

As the two walked, the boy looked around and met eye contact with her for a second before continueing to gauge the area. Then, he gently pulled her over to a cafe, opening the door and keeping it open until she passed inside. When he closed the door, the blond fell against the wall, closing his eyes and tilting his head up and let out a deep mix of a groan and a sigh of relief.

With her limbs finally free to herself, Laura timidly clasped her hands together, holding them up to her chest. She watched the blond carefully, taking in his full body and exhausted form.

He was still catching his breath. Slightly opening his eyes, and gazed at the brown haired girl in front of him through the slits of his eyes.

Laura finally could see how exhausted he really was. What happened? "Ah... are you okay?" She asked softly, stepping forward tentatively.

He stared at her and then unhitched himself from the wall and smiled. "Yeah," He said in a soft voice. "Do you wanna sit? I'll explain to you what happened back there." He said, his hazel eyes peering at the counter and menu before looking back at her. He pulled at the ends of his hair in front of his face unconsciously as he said so.

Laura knew she could walk out right now, but it seemed no part of her stopped her when she replied in the same tone, "Okay."

The two took a booth, and Laura scooted into one side awkwardly, keeping her head down. The waiter came by and the guy gave his order and looked at Laura. "Do you want anything?"

"Oh no, it's okay," She said quietly and then gave a grin to the waiter as assurance.

"Are you sure?" The blond raised an eyebrow.

She nodded too surely and he just let it go. "Alright..."

The waiter went away and Laura stared at the table before peeking up to look at him. He was already staring at her and she fought another blush. He smiled weakly. "I didn't get your name." He said gently.

Laura forgot her name for a moment. "Laura," She said.

"Laura," He smiled bigger. "I'm Ross."

He stretched his arm across the table and she took his hand to shake it. "Ross," She repeated, strangely liking the stranger's name in her mouth. She was smiling, her eyebrows pulled together and the interest in learning his name. As she shook his hand, she realized she finally got a good look at him under the light.

Yes, he was still very attractive. But something about him made her narrow her eyes, and seemed so familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Ross finally pulled his hand back and scratched the side of his head. "And, uh, I'm not sure if you know this... but I'm,"

Then, a squeal came from the other side of the cafe. Laura and Ross turned their heads, and a teenager, maybe 3 or 4 years younger than them, was grinning wide their way. In a matter of seconds, the teenager scurried their way, her hands curled to her chest. "You're Ross Lynch, aren't you?!"

Laura's eyebrows rose, looking back at Ross.

Ross grinned a little, looking down and then back at her. "Maybe."

The girl giggled. "Can you please pretty please sign something for me?"

"Sure." He replied with a friendly ambiance and took the sharpie she handed him from her purse and signed the back of iphone case. "Here you go," He handed it back to her and she squealed.

"Thank you so much! And I'm going to buy your next album that comes out immediately."

"Awesome! Thanks." He said and the girl gave one last smile and turned to go back to her table.

Ross lazily turned his head back to Laura to find her have a calculating expression, her lips pursed in a small 'o'.

"You... don't know me, do you?" He finally said, his tone dropping a little, but the smile still there.

Laura didn't want to let him down so she kept racking her brain for it. She finally registered seeing the name Ross Lynch on itunes and his face on some posters in the city. He was the new rock star, rising in fame for both his talent, voice and hard to ignore God-given looks. "I-I know you!" Her voice strung high with broken octaves, waving her hand and laughing defensively.

He gave her a look.

"Okay, just a little..." She gave in, letting her voice sink. "I have seen your name around and some of your posters around though."

Ross scratched the side of his head again. "I guess that's better than nothing. But yeah, the guy earlier...was my manager. I just flew in New York City for the week and... I kind of decided to go on a spontaneous escapade from him tonight and just enjoy the thrill of the night and the wonders of the concrete jungle, you know? Just let go and have fun. Without security guards and being nagged at every minute about schedules." He explained. Laura's mouth opened in surprise and then laughed fondly at this rockstar's pure intentions.

"And now he's chasing you like a madman?" She raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Basically." He laughed.

She laughed too and soon the waiter came back to set down a cafe latte in front of him. "Thanks," Ross thanked.

Laura eyed the warm cup of coffee and the pretty design on the top. "Ah-Ah Um wait," She held up a finger, making the waiter turn back around and Ross look up at her as he was blowing his coffee.

"Can I have one too?" She grinned sheepishly.

"Right away," The waiter smiled and went to the kitchen.

"Didn't want any..." Ross mocked, scoffing teasingly.

"It looked good," Laura defended.

"Fine," He surrendered lightheartedly. "I'm paying for it though."

Laura gasped. "No!"

"I dragged you into this mess with me. It's the least I can do." He shrugged, bringing the cup up to his mouth to drink and look out the window.

Laura quieted. "Yeah why did you bring me with you?"

He swallowed and set it down. "I didn't want to leave you back there and be the poor clueless girl be interrogated by my already pissed strict manager." He made a crooked grin.

"Oh...right." Her drink arrived and she thanked the waiter. She smiled big at the design of the cafe latte and held the cup up to take a sip.

"And you seemed really interesting..."

"Hm?" Laura said in surprise, unfortunately while she was still sipping and momentarily sputtered and choked. She didn't spill but swallowed the delicious coffee and set the cup down. "Huh?"

"I mean you were walking alone, in an empty street of New York City." He shrugged, his eyes out the window. He didn't want to admit out loud that he was also surprised by the beauty of this tiny New Yorker. Nor that he just didn't want to leave her after that chance encounter. "Wait, you don't have somewhere to be do you?"

Laura quickly thought of her warm bed and the routine of getting up at 7am again and getting breakfast. "Not really."

"Are you tired?"

"Well I'm wide awake now." She grinned.

He grinned back. "Well Laura... I'm only in New York for one more day. And it's usually more fun doing things with someone else so..." Laura waited. "Do you want to accompany me on exploring New York for the rest of the night?"

Laura's eyes grew large. She had just met this boy. He's practically famous. He literally crashed into her earlier. It was reckless. Unlike her. And yet, the only answer surging inside her was a big— "Yes."

Ross's grin couldn't get wider than that. "Really?! Awesome! I promise we're going to have a blast."

Laura giggled at this, sipping her coffee. For some reason, his smile did things to her. "I don't doubt it." She said. Then, Ross softened and gave her an small smile before continuing to finish his coffee.


	2. This Stranger

**A/N: I'm sorry this took so long! I've been so busy but I wanted to get this in. Thank you for the kind reviews and all my awesome readers, silent or not. Take care.**

**Diclaimer: I own nothing!  
*Is AU**

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_It's not just about the adventure, but who you spend it with_

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**II. This Stranger**

"Okay, where to first?" Ross put his hands on his hips, standing outside the cafe. He looked down at the girl beside him. God, she was so short compared to him. He was trying so hard to ignore how endearing he found it.

"Umm," There was so much in this city, even if they were a bit far off from the central part. "How about the American Museum of Natural History?"

"Lame." He shot her a sneaky smile when she gaped at him.

"Well excuse me," She scoffed. A smile fought to be on her face.

He grinned, closing his eyes to shake his head. "No, we can go anywhere. I can try out new things. Let's just walk down this way? I know I saw a huge Hershey's place here somewhere!"

Laura was about to laugh, ready to point out that was much farther downtown near Times Square until Ross angled his elbow to her with a smile and it took her a slow moment until she slipped her arm with his. What was that weird feeling in her stomach? She looked back up at his eyes and then smiled back, holding his forearm as they began to walk together. There wasn't nothing wrong with this. That's what she was telling herself, ignoring the feeling bubbling in her stomach.

Ross was much more childish than she anticipated. On what she judged from his posters, he should've been a cool guy and did things with bravado and hands in his pockets. But she was way proven wrong: He'd point out the most simple things and literally drag her into random stores that they'd pass by. (_"Ross, wait!" "Come on!"_) Inside a souvenir shop, he put on sunglasses and made her try a pair on and make faces in the mirror. He was an actual little kid. He had a good pair of aviators that made him feel like a biker and he propped his elbow on a shelf behind him and gave a cool-guy nod at Laura. She eyed him, only laughing in the end.

He grinned and took off the sunglasses, putting them back before he was wandering back out. His attention spam baffled Laura, but maybe it was just his excitement of getting to do what he wants for a night. Back on the streets, they neared downtown more, more exciting lights, stores, and companies popping up.

As they walked, Laura frowned when a busy citizen bumped shoulders with her hard. She looked over her shoulder unconsciously. She was used to these crowds and getting hit once in a while.

Ross's arm snaked around her arm and pulled her closer to him. She whipped her head back at him and he was still walking and acting like he didn't do anything. "Man, Times Square... I can't wait until the day I can perform here. But I'm sure that's more for mainstream popstars." He was saying with a lighthearted grin.

"You never know!" She chirped, and he grinned down at her for it.

"I'm guessing you've been out here when the ball drops on New Years, right?"

"Well...yeah...once," She admitted bashfully. "It wasn't fun without any of my friends or family with me anyway so I'd just stay home or at other New Years party." Most of her friends were in California still, and departed when they all went to college.

He nodded, not saying anything. Then, he pointed out another store that caught his interest and he pulled Laura with him to the department store. Yet, they never actually bought things. This should've exhausted Laura but she was busy enjoying herself.

Next they went into Ripley's Believe it or Not.

"No waay!" Laura was gawking at a fact on some statue of a disfigured guy. Ross was walking around and rounded back to her, shaking his head with an entertained smile.

"So cool," He commented at the place.

"Ross, look at this," Laura said, looking at him with such a baffled expression and pointing down to a template with facts. "The curse of the Titanic: according to some sources, was sunk by the "Black Buddha", a priceless statue concealed in the captains safe. Studded with millions of dollars worth of gems, the Buddha carried with it a deadly curse!" She gaped at him after reading out loud.

"_That_'s why Jack and Rose weren't able to be together?" He said disgruntled with a straight face.

Laura regarded him and knew he was joking. "You watched the movie!" It was one of her classic favorites. Leonardo DiCaprio though. Leo caught her heart when she was young, of course.

"You're so stupid, Rose, you're so stupid!" Ross imitated Jack, making both of them laugh.

"So good," Laura said, thinking of the movie. She looked at the other side of the store. "Hey there's a horror house walk through. Let's go through there!"

When Ross didn't budge, it took a few moments for Laura to figure out. "No way," She turned to him. "You're scared of horror things!"

"No," He said but his countenance and uneasy smile gave it away. "Okay I'm just not keen on it."

She tilted her head and then crossed her arms, curiousity filling her. "So what kind of movies do you usually watch..?" She thought guys in general were all up for exciting horror. Action came close to top for that too usually.

"I like movies like Romeo and Juliet. Not the one with Leo, but the 1968 version."

His answer surprised her and he had to shake his head good heartedly as he led her out the store.

They walked down the sidewalk, keeping their hands in their jacket pockets from the cold. "So you're a romantic..." Laura concluded in a low voice, mostly to herself.  
"What?" Ross asked aloof, hearing her say something.

"Nothing,"

A big red bus went by and both blond and brunette's heads followed it go by. They already stopped in one spot and exchanged a look and smiled.

x

On top of the red bus, Laura was on the seat closest to the outside, looking out. She's lived here for almost 3 years but something about the place seemed so new to her tonight. Taxis parked against the curb, people leaving restaurants and people just walking to get some place. Why was this suddenly interesting to her?

"Ross are you sure you don't want to sit here? You can see more of the things around us." Laura turned her head to Ross who was sitting beside her. His arm was propped on the back of the chair; he'd been watching her the whole time. It was on her own city, but she seemed so dazzled by it.

"It's okay, I can see everything I need to from here."

"Okay, if you say so..." Laura turned her head back out to look out at the streets. Ross smiled quietly and now and then glanced at the blinking advertisements on the buildings.

A blinking sign of the Statue of Liberty was passed by them.

Ross saw and smiled. "I know where I want to go later." He said nonchalantly.

"Where?"

"I'll tell you later." He said distractedly when he saw a neon microphone sign.

x

"Okay, seriously, no!" Laura pleaded, her hands up.

"One song!" Ross pressed, keeping the mic stretched out to her. Her curled up position on the couch didn't change as she just stared debatedly at the microphone with a wide grin.

Two seconds. "Fine."

"Yes!" Ross handed her the mic as she got up. The two were in a karaoke place and had been singing for ten minutes. At least Ross was. They were too busy laughing at each other.

Standing up there, Laura looked at the karaoke screen, fidgeting on her feet. "What song?"

"Whichever you want." Ross sat on the couch, shrugging. He leaned back, resting his arm on the back.

The girl crossed her arms, looking through the list. She didn't want to sing a slow depressing song. She didn't know if she was ready to sing an outstanding pop song either. She was serious about the song choosing. Ross interrupted her serious thinking. "If you don't choose one soon, I'm making you sing Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend."

The brunette's straight locks spun when she whipped her head at him to give him a look. "Okay, okay." She quickly chose the closest song that she thought was okay.

It was Katy Perry's "Firework."

Ross's eyebrows rose in curiosity, nodding in approval to himself as the music started.

Laura had not sang in front of people in a long time. Regardless of not being around her friends in plain "fun time" in a long time. Who was she kidding, her friends were either too busy or too far away. It was all studies and routine for her.

"_Do you ever feel like a plastic bag  
__Drifting through the wind  
__Wanting to start again?"_

She sang, her expression tentative. She looked at Ross and he just gave her a simple smile and suddenly she felt massive encouragement just from that.

"_Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin?  
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?" _

Her eyes found Ross to the side.

_"__Do you ever feel already buried deep?  
Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing," _  
She was singing, but her eyes locked on his were almost like it was her own confession being sang.  
Ross was slowly grinning and nodding his head to the music. _"Do you know that there's still a chance for you? That there's a spark in you..." _A wide smile slowly grew on Laura's face as she felt a strange new feeling.

"_You just gotta ignite the light  
and let it shine  
Just own the night  
like the 4th of July," _

How did she ever forget how much she loved to sing for others?

"_'Cause, baby, you're a firework  
Come on, show 'em what you're worth  
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"  
As you shoot across the sky-y-y"_

Ross watched with amazement as the numbers on the screen were shooting up.

"_Baby, you're a firework  
Come on, let your colours burst  
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"  
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe"_

Ross found huge enjoyment doing the "aah aah aah" because Laura held the mic out to him for it with a grin.

When she finished the song, Laura let out a deep breath. Mostly at herself, still baffled at how awesome that felt. What was that? Why did she forget her love for singing when she's spent all this time studying for it? With great excitement she turned to Ross with glee and he was giving the most profound look.

She turned bashful, cheeks pink when she realized how she sang her heart out in front of a total stranger. "What?"

"You totally rocked that song!" He exclaimed.

Wide eyed, Laura shook her head. "Whaat? No." She hugged her other arm, sheepish. "Did I?"

"Uh, yeah!" Ross was up with a grin. "Let's do a duet together."

"What? Oh noo no." The thought of singing beside a professional singer and celebrity like him made her squeamish. "You said only one song!"

"That was before I knew you were an awesome singer!" He crossed his arms. "Come on, just one more."

Laura pressed her lips together, debating, and he was already looking through the song list. The stubborn boy. I guess it can't be helped with him. "Sure," She gave in, mono tone.

A song was picked. Ross wagged his eyebrows at her playfully with a smirk. Laura looked to see what song it was and it was Don't Look Down by these singers, Austin and Ally*.

_Whoa no, how am I going to sing this?_

It was too late, Ross was singing. "I'm walking on a thin line and my hands are tied, got no where to hide," Ross sang, his full on stage performance present. "I'm standing at a cross words, don't know where to go, feeling so exposed,"

"Yeah I'm caught in between, where I'm going and where I've been," Laura found herself singing. Ross danced a long. "But I know, there's no turning back, yeah,"

_It's like I'm balanced on the edge  
It's like I'm hanging by a thread  
But I'm still gonna push ahead  
So I tell myself  
Yeah I tell myself..._

Ross couldn't admit it out loud. Their voices mixed together was something else to him. He'd sung with other female singers before but none of them sounded as good as this. He liked seeing her light up and hear her rich vocals harmonize with his. She was more open than she was earlier that evening when they met—and he liked that he was able to bring this side out of her.

The two were on the couch, eating the snacks laid on the table. They told a few comments and short stories now and then. Mostly related to experiences when they sang in front of others, or auditions.

Laura threw her head back, letting out the loudest laugh she's made in forever. "You're so ridiculous!"  
Ross was grinning at her, shrugging, and glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'll sing one more song and we can go."

Her laughter subsided as he jumped up and picked one song. "This one's for you, my New York stranger." He winked.

And upbeat music played and Laura's sat up straighter in curiosity.

"_Hey girl, I really wanna let you know__  
Your style, it's something that's so natural  
You laugh, and everyone around you stops  
Your smile, I wish you knew just what you got._

_And don't be scared to show me something real  
We'll never know holding back what we feel  
I'm into you, so tell me you feel the same  
And that's all it takes 'cause_

_Oh, girl you could be mine," _

Ross walked to her with his hand on his chest. She was madly grinning by now.  
_  
"Once in a lifetime  
So open your heart  
Open up your heart_

_Show me who you are..."_

* * *

Giggles filled the air as two people ran across the field, and soon the taller one tackled the small one, both rolling onto the soft grass. Laughter erupted and Laura's cheeks hurt from smiling so much, her eye closed.

The boy next to her was dying out his laughter. At the same time, the two looked at each other. Laura was still calming her laughter as Ross just stared at her with an small grin. He propped himself on his elbow and looked down at her. She stopped, looking back and blinked.

Her eyes were so brown and innocent. He lifted his hand to caress it over her hair, brushing it off her cheek. Never leaving each other's eyes, Ross slowly leaned down.

Laura's heartbeat started racing and as he came closer, she found her eyelids slowly closing. Right before they did, Ross pulled back and tapped her shoulder, yelling, "Race you to the railing!" and got up to run.

Laura gasped, sitting up, and yelling "Not fair!" as she stumbled to catch up with him. Of course he made it there before her and being the clumsy her, she tripped right when she got there but he caught her before she crashed into the metal railings.

He was laughing and the brunette was blushing madly. "Oh shush," She said as he let go of her. She couldn't help the grin on her face though and realized she had not felt this alive in so long. _This stranger... _she stared at him, who was looking out across the water now.

The tall Miss Liberty herself stood above them. The city lights and stars reflected in the bay and Laura couldn't help but awe.

She looked back at Ross, and he seemed lost in thought. The wind was lightly blowing his fringe, and something about him put her in a daze. "I-" She stopped herself but it was too late. He looked at her, thinking she was going to continue. She didn't, for the words she was going to say felt too embarrassing._ I' m glad I said yes.  
_"Yeah?"  
"Um...I've never been here at this time of night."  
He bought it. "Really?" He said, turning his head back at the water. He shifted his torso forward, using his arms as comforters as he leaned onto the railing. "I only wish time moved like this. I'm working for my dream right now but sometimes things are so rushed, you never get to just stop and appreciate things like this." He said distantly. He was referring to just being able to stand there, with no worries, no nagging manager, no pressure, and just relax and enjoy the water and city's beauty.

Laura slowly nodded, wondering what he really goes through daily. That he had to use this one night to escape and be …free?

She leaned on the railing as well, getting lost in the waves below them. "So what's next?" She asked quietly.

Ross was quiet for a while, thinking, while looking at the water. The city lights were reflected on it. And trees rustled behind them. Ross smiled. "Let's go for a walk."

A smile was brought to Laura's lips. They'd been walking the whole time they've been together, yet the request appealed to her more than anything. "Okay." And she knew where to go for this one.


End file.
